Trend, style, and movement are some of the most common classifications used in attempts to define Brutalism—a term used to describe a body of architectural work produced between the 1950s and 1970s that shares certain characteristics, most notably the raw, exposed use of building materials. Defining Brutalism precisely, however, remains a difficult task, even though (or perhaps precisely because) the term has achieved such widespread currency, sparking numerous attempts to conceptualize it.
The frameworks for what qualifies as Brutalism are as numerous as the definitions the term takes on across different contexts. Consequently, these multiple versions cannot be viewed in isolation or divorced from what “Brutalism” represents in each scenario. To understand this fully, it is essential to trace the origin and dissemination of the term.
